One With The Ice
by Steampunkd7
Summary: After the Dragonoid arc, Gray can't just forget how fast everyone was to believe he betrayed them for no reason. To get his head straight he goes north to train with Lyon but finds more trouble than he and his sempai can deal with by themselves.
1. Chapter 1

Takes place right after the Dragonoid/Daphne arc. It annoyed me how everyone (except Juvia) suddenly believed that Gray would turn against Fairy Tail without any reason, and if I was him I wouldn't be able to just forget that so easily. So this fic is the story of how Gray copes with that. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

The moment Lyon saw Gray standing in the doorway of Lamia Scale he knew something was wrong.

On the outside Gray looked fine. No missing limbs. No limp or bandages or casts. A few visible scrapes and bruises, but nothing major, just the kind of thing that came with the territory for any guild wizard who used their abilities for combat.

It was something in his eyes that gave it away to Lyon. Gray had an amazing poker face when he wanted to, but it was useless in the face of someone who actually knew him. And Lyon knew him well enough to know that his eyes changed color whenever something was wrong. Normally they were dark, dark gray, almost black, and opaque. When he entered battle or got worried or worked up about something his eyes changed to a lighter bluish gray color, like a stormy sky, and stayed that way until all was well again.

Lyon hurried across the room to the door where Gray still hesitated, as if he were unsure whether or not Lamia Scale allowed wizards from other guilds to enter. "Gray? What are you doing here?" he asked. _What's wrong_? was what he wanted to ask, but that wasn't their way, and Gray wouldn't answer that question honestly anyway.

"Lyon. You look well." Gray gave his sempai a smile that didn't reach those steel gray eyes.

"Why are you here?" Lyon asked. He knew he sounded abrupt and rude, but it wasn't like Gray wasn't expecting that. Besides, he had a reputation to keep up in his own guild.

"I'm going north for awhile to train," Gray told him. "I know it's sudden, but I thought I'd stop by and see if you wanted to come."

Lyon scowled at him.

"I figured as much. Just thought I'd offer."

"I didn't say I wouldn't go," snapped Lyon.

"That look speaks for itself just fine."

"Shut up and come inside."

"Huh?"

"Or would you rather stand right here in the doorway while I pack?"

Gray's mouth dropped open wide in shock. "You seriously want to come?"

"Don't tell me you're rescinding the invitation."

"No." Gray still looked floored. "I just never in a million years thought you'd agree to it."

Lyon gave a condescending laugh and turned to go back inside. He heard Gray's footsteps behind him. "Sit and let me grab some provisions. And it's only going to be me going with you. My friends won't like the arctic temperatures even if yours do."

"What friends?" Gray's voice was surprisingly bitter.

It was Lyon's turn to ask, "Huh?"

"I'm taking this trip alone. Except for you, since it seems like you're coming along now. My friends don't like the cold either."

Lyon's suspicions were immediately perked. Did he have a fight with his friends? he wondered. It suddenly seemed like that was part of the reason for Gray's sudden desire to go on an arctic excursion, but Lyon didn't think Gray was shallow enough for that to be the only reason.

"Well then it looks like I'll only have one annoying person to deal with on this trip then," Lyon said.

"Yeah. Yourself."

That earned a round of snickers and guffaws from the wizards around them who were blatantly eavesdropping on their conversation. A cold glare from Lyon silenced them.

"Wait here. And try not to break anything, since that's all you fairies are good for."

"Yeah. Don't I know."

"What?"

"I said hurry up and pack if you're coming," Gray told him. "We've got a train to catch."

Lyon hurried upstairs to the room he rented. He stuffed some money and travel provisions and one set of spare clothes into a backpack and hurried back downstairs.

"Lyon-sama! I heard that you were leaving!" Sherry appeared at his elbow as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm going with Gray to train up north. I don't know how long. Probably not more than a month."

"So suddenly?" Sherry looked severely disappointed.

Lyon caught Sherry's hand. "Something's wrong with the little idiot."

"Oh?" Sherry's expression grew less troubled. "And you're going to find out what and help him?"

"More or less," muttered Lyon.

"I see. So it is love."

Lyon gave his head an annoyed shake. "If you go on any jobs while I'm gone take Toby and Yuka with you, okay?"

"Okay, Lyon-sama. Come back safely!"

Lyon nodded to her then motioned toward Gray that they were leaving. Gray needed no further prompting. Lyon noticed that a group of Lamia Scale's single ladies had swarmed around Gray's table while he was waiting. They watched in disappointment as the two ice mages left.

"Got your coat?" Gray asked as they walked outside.

Lyon snickered. He might have laughed at the offhand joke, except Gray's eyes were still the color of a stormy sky. Lyon could recognize the humor in the jokes Gray attempted, but until he found out what was wrong with his kohai he doubted he'd think anything was funny.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry if Gray and Lyon are OOC here. I tried my best, but it's not easy writing ice wizards being emotional. And thank you for the reviews! Btw, the eye changing color thing is actually real in the anime. Something I noticed, whenever Gray gets in a fight his eyes change to a lighter color, and when he's in a normal mood his eyes are a blue-black color.

Chapter 2

"So this train will be taking us the rest of the way to Aesir?" Lyon asked after he and Gray switched trains for the second time. It was the first time they'd spoken in about ten hours. Outside the sun was setting, casting red and gold light over the snow fields they were riding through.

"Yeah. We should get there early tomorrow."

"It's pretty late in the season to be going to Aesir, you know." Lyon watched Gray carefully as he spoke. "We'll only have maybe three weeks before the area is locked down by blizzards for the winter."

"Four weeks. The blizzards start in this region like clockwork, the third week of autumn every year." Gray stared out the window looking just plain tired. "You'll probably want to leave before then."

"Don't you mean _we'll_ probably want to leave before then?" asked Lyon. "Or do you intend to train here all winter?"

"I might. I haven't decided yet."

Lyon sighed. He'd been hoping that it wouldn't come to this. Talks were definitely not his thing. However it seemed like having one was the only way to get answers from Gray now, so he would just have to deal with it. "I think it's about time you told me what's really going on, Gray."

Gray scowled. "What do you mean? We're going to train."

"What brought this on all of a sudden? And what's getting you down? Don't deny that anything's wrong, because I can tell. I know when something's wrong with you."

Gray exhaled long and hard. "This is annoying. If I'd actually thought for a second that you would actually come with me . . ."

"You didn't really want me here? Then why invite me?" Lyon wanted to know. He wasn't offended. He knew that Gray preferred to deal with his problems on his own. He was the same way. So it had been confusing him why Gray had issued the invitation to begin with.

"Because I told a certain someone who likes to stalk me that I would be inviting you."

"Why?"

"Because it was the only way to make sure no one followed me," said Gray. His voice was angry now. "You were supposed to say no, and Juvia would have found out and reported back to everyone that yes, I invited you, but you didn't want to come. At least then it wouldn't have looked like I was running away sulking. I never thought you'd actually come."

"Why would they think you were running away sulking?" Lyon asked. He frowned. "Were they not satisfied by your performance against the Oracion Seis?"

He couldn't think of anything else that this could be about. There certainly hadn't been time for much to happen since they took down that dark guild. But Gray's actions in those fights had been nothing short of heroic. Lyon had the strange urge to jump a train back to Fiore and go throttle the wizards of Fairy Tail for not giving a student of Ur proper recognition."

"It wasn't that. It's nothing really."

"Just tell me what's the matter with you already," said Lyon.

Gray looked at him for the first time since their conversation began. "You think you know me?" he asked.

"I know you. There's no thinking about it required."

"You knew me for a year when I was nine."

"You're the kind of fool who never changes."

"So what would you think if you heard that I betrayed my entire guild and my closest friends?" Gray asked.

"I'd think it was ridiculous."

"And if you saw proof of it with your own eyes?"

Lyon sighed, disgusted at the emotional turn this conversation was taking. "Any 'proof' that you'd betrayed a friend would only be circumstantial evidence to me until you told me what you were doing and why. And the why would have to be something very convincing. Until I heard it from you then nothing would make me believe you decided to betray the friends you were willing to die for, or the guild you live for. So tell me what's going on already."

Gray abruptly looked away. "I screwed up. I had a plan. In order for it to work I had to make it look like I was betraying a friend. I had it all worked out. It would only take an evening, the least number of people possible would be involved to minimize those put in harm's way, and then it would all be over, and the friend I needed to make it look like I was betraying was Natsu."

"The hothead. So what happened? He flamed you?"

"No. He was the only one who didn't think I betrayed him. Well, him and Juvia. Natsu's incapable of believing a friend would ever turn on him, and Juvia . . . Juvia is very loyal to me."

"So she's into you."

"No one said that!" Gray shouted. He rounded on Lyon. "And I'm trying to be serious!"

"Okay. Continue then."

Gray made a disgusted sound and turned back toward the window. "Things got out of hand. More people got involved than I'd counted on and somehow word got back to our guild that I'd betrayed them. So they immediately sent people out to capture me and drag me back before our master."

"I see."

"No, you don't see. You didn't see the way they were looking at me. Like I was a traitor. Like I was scum. Damn it." The air in the train compartment had dropped about two dozen degrees. Mist was radiating around Gray as the air that came into contact with him rapidly cooled. "Our guild has welcomed former enemies into our ranks, including a man who beat up several of our ladies and tore apart our guild building when no one was there. The master has allowed actual traitors to remain even after they supported a coup de ta against him, took actions that endangered the entire city of Magnolia, turned our comrades to stone and threatened to shatter them if he didn't resign from his position. So why . . . why were they so quick to brand _me_ as an enemy just from hearsay?"

"Gray . . ."

"I've been with them for nine years! I've fought for them, given my all for them. I love them like they're my real family. Hell, they _are_ my real family. I don't have anyone else, do I? And I would have thought my actions showed them all that. All the times we fought together. The lengths I've gone to in order to save them in the past . . . Erza immediately decided that I was a traitor and looked at me like she would any other enemy! Elfman, Macao, all of them . . . I got an armed guard when I was drug before our master. If they think that I could betray them so easily . . . that I'd throw them away so lightly then they must not think much of me to begin with!"

Tears were freezing and falling from Gray's eyes like hailstones, accumulating in his lap.

"You can go ahead and say it," Gray told Lyon. "Whatever you're thinking. How I'm weak and stupid and it shows. That I –"

"Shut up, Gray."

"What?" Gray demanded.

"I said shut up." Lyon crossed his arms over his chest and clenched his teeth. For Gray to bare his soul like this to Lyon of all people . . . the only thing it could possibly mean was that he was at the end of his rope. He'd reached his breaking point. Everyone had one after all. And it seemed that Gray's was being turned against so easily by the people he cared for the most.

Words weren't Lyon's strong point. He didn't think that they were any ice mage's strong point. But that didn't matter much now, Lyon knew. The damage had already been done. There was nothing that anyone could possibly say that would fix this, but Lyon knew that Gray didn't need him to fix it. What Gray needed to know was that he wasn't as alone as he thought he was.

"Just shut up, kouhai. Just because your stupid guild starts talking crazy doesn't mean you get to. And what the hell do you mean you don't have anyone else? What do you think I am?"

Gray stared at him as though he'd suddenly started speaking another language. But his eye color had darkened a shade which Lyon took as a good sign.

"I know I screwed up, back in Brago. Then again on Galuna." Lyon forced himself to hold Gray's eyes when what he really wanted to do was stare at the floor and shuffle his feet like a guilty child. "But you were there to pound some sense into me when I needed it, so now it's my turn. I'm not so arrogant as to believe I can fix things for you. Sometimes things that get broken can never be fixed. But it's good that you have some time away from them to clear your head."

"Four weeks," said Gray.

"I think I can stand staying with you longer if I have to."

"No. I won't keep you away from your guild all winter."

"Gray –"

"I already decided before I even got on the train," Gray told him. "If I can't get past this in four weeks then it's not something I can get past. And if you can't go back down an old path you have to find a new one."

"Then what are you babbling about staying here all winter?" asked Lyon. But he realized the answer before Gray said it.

"If I decide to break a new path I'll need to become even stronger. A winter of training in Aesir might give me that strength."

Lyon nodded. Hesitantly, not sure if the gesture would be welcome or not, he placed a hand on Gray's shoulder, and thankfully Gray didn't shrug it off. "I'll train with you for four weeks. If you need an ear to talk to, mine will both be there."

And if Gray chose to leave his guild he would need some time to truly be alone. Lyon's continued presence would no longer help him.


	3. Chapter 3

Once again, I'm struggling to keep the ice wizards from being OOC. I'm trying to write them with a brotherly relationship, because I think that if things had turned out differently, they would have been close, based on how Lyon acted as a kid, after accepting that Ur had enough love for two disciples. Like how Lyon was always chattering to Gray about his dreams. If you see a way I can improve on this, please let me know. Thanks!

Chapter 3

"I want to make your son my disciple."

Ten-year-old Lyon was annoyed by Ur's words. He turned a glare on the unconscious boy they'd dug out of the wreck of the Isvan village. Gray, his parents said his name was. They'd found Gray's parents minutes later, cowering behind the remains of their house.

"To survive a direct attack from a monster that destroyed every other living thing in this town would have been an incredible feat alone, but to shield the two of you as well is unheard of. The boy has strong magic within him, and properly trained –"

"Take him!"

Lyon's eyes flitted back to Gray's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fullbuster.

"I – what?" Ur thought that she'd misheard as well.

"Take the wretch. Get him as far away from us as you can," said Mrs. Fullbuster.

"All that brat does is rain down misfortune," said Mr. Fullbuster.

"I – what do you mean?" Ur seemed flustered. And Ur was very rarely flustered.

"We've known about him for awhile now. The magic in him. We knew he was a freak but we tried to stomp it out of him," said Mrs. Fullbuster. "Stacks of dishes exploding when he picks them up, sparks popping from his eyes when he's mad, water freezing in his drinking glass. It was all we could do to keep the neighbors from discovering what an anomaly he was!"

"It was probably his power that drew Deliora to our village! What other reason would that beast have to come to our small town?" Mr. Fullbuster spat in his son's direction. "Best that he goes with other freaks like him. Take him and begone. Never come back and never let him darken my door again!"

Ur's face grew dark. The air in the room began to grow extremely cold. "You no longer have a door, Mr. Fullbuster. Deliora saw to that. But if not for your son you would not even have your life. And this is how you thank him?"

"You wanted him, didn't you?" asked Mrs. Fullbuster. "So what's the problem, witch? Take him. Train him in your freakish ways. Eat him if you like. I hear that's what witches do."

"You despicable –"

A painful mewling noise that escaped Gray's lips cut Ur off. Her expression softened as she looked at the boy, then without another word to the Fullbusters, she stormed over and dropped to her knees beside Gray. She picked him up with a gentleness that belied her angry expression, cradling him oh so carefully, as if he were her own child and not a boy she'd only just met.

"Come, Lyon," she ordered.

"Yes!" Lyon said quickly and ran to follow at her heels.

They walked through the ruined streets. The destruction all around them, and Ur's unconscious burden made for a very sober mood.

"Make me a promise, Lyon," Ur said suddenly.

"A promise?" asked Lyon.

"Promise me that you will never tell Gray about what just happened," Ur said. "We'll tell him that his parents are dead."

"But . . ."

"It will hurt him more to know they're alive and that they hate him. It will be better if he thinks that they're dead. Now promise me."

"I promise," Lyon said.

"Besides." A smile crossed Ur's face as she looked from her new disciple to her elder one. "In a way, it's true. Those people are a sorry excuse for parents. They might as well be dead to him. Better off that he be with us. His new family."

X

Lyon opened his eyes slowly and groaned. The dream, no, the memory, had come to him every night for the past week. He wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the training with Gray bringing back old memories, but then why just this one? It wasn't like he felt guilty about it. Or at least not too guilty. Ur had been right. It would have hurt Gray worse to know the truth. Especially now, when his faith in everyone he cared about was so dangerously thin.

Their training was going well. Lyon could actually feel himself growing stronger every passing day. He couldn't believe he hadn't returned to a frozen place to train earlier, and from Gray's remarks, neither could he. But if either had gone by himself Lyon knew the results wouldn't have been as great. Having a partner helped immensely by giving them someone to spar against and point out the mistakes they saw being made. And Lyon had to admit that having company made this training much more enjoyable. It reminded him of how they'd been when they'd trained with Ur. How they'd been friends, almost brothers.

"You're awake?" asked Gray.

"Huh? Yeah." Lyon sat up on the block of ice that was his bed. He and Gray had both decided to take their training to the extreme. They'd made their shelter out of ice instead of renting a cabin or using a tent. They'd bathed in the frozen sea every morning and evening. All they drank was ice water. And all their training was done in their boxers.

So it surprised Lyon when he turned to his training partner and found that Gray was wearing pants and a T-shirt.

"Hey, you're cheating."

"No. I was thinking we should go into town today," Gray said. "We're almost out of food."

"Are we?"

"No. I lied. I just said that because I felt like hearing myself talk."

"Shut up." Lyon picked up his pants from where he'd thrown them after Gray created their one roomed ice house. "I guess we can't very well go into town in just our underwear."

"We could, but I've learned that it gets you a lot of strange looks." Gray was practical as always.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?"

"When do I ever do what I'm told?"

Lyon laughed and pulled on his jacket. "Well, do me a favor and try to keep your clothes on during this shopping trip. Don't forget what happened the last time we went to the market together."

Gray's expression fell. "I remember. It was our last good time together."

"No," Lyon told him. "Not our last."

Gray's expression cleared a bit. "I meant the three of –"

"Shut up already. As long as we're all still alive there'll always be more good times. You, me, and our teacher." Lyon pointed at Gray and himself in turn, then through the transparent ice wall, toward the ocean for Ur. "That's what a family does, right?"

Gray smiled. And he seemed genuinely okay for a moment. But his eyes were still stormy blue-gray. They were darker than they'd been when Gray arrived at Lamia Scale but hadn't gone back to normal yet. And Lyon really had no clue what Gray was thinking in regards to Fairy Tail. It was still completely up in the air whether or not Gray would be retuning.

It was a pretty long walk to the closest town from where Gray and Lyon had set up their camp. They'd decided it was better that way because being close enough for people to come gawk at them would distract them. So they had quite a trek to go get more supplies.

"I guess it's nice to have a day off once a week," Lyon said. "It gives our bodies time to recover from the abuse we've put them through so we can keep up the same training pace our entire trip."

"Yeah," Gray agreed. "I think any normal person would be dead of hypothermia by now, trying what we've done."

Lyon laughed.

The sun was just beginning to rise when they reached the town about two hours later. They could have cut the time in half if they'd wanted, but Lyon rather enjoyed the walk. He thought that Gray did too. Maybe it even helped Gray figure a thing or two out, because Lyon noticed his eyes had grown even darker by the time they reached the town's market.

"We should get some meat."

Lyon frowned at him. "But unless we get it dried then we'll need a fire to cook it."

"No we wouldn't."

"You . . . want to eat it raw?"

"Not raw, frozen. Don't tell me you've never . . ."

Lyon cringed away from him. "You disgust me, Gray."

Gray gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "We're getting meat."

"We're not getting meat."

"I brought my money, I'll do what I want with it."

"In that case I hope you choke on it," Lyon said, but he was laughing.

They went to the bakery first to get some bread, but found that the bakers hadn't finished cooking it yet. "We're running late this morning," the woman in charge told them. She gave them a bright smile. "Why don't you sit down and wait? It shouldn't be more than a few minutes. Here, have some milk."

Two huge mugs of warm milk were thrust at them, which Gray and Lyon both warily accepted because the baker woman was kind of scary.

"Are you boys new to the village or just passing through? I haven't seen you around here before."

"Just visiting for a few weeks," Lyon told her.

"How nice. Family?"

"Nope. Just visiting to see the area," Gray told her.

"Oh? I see. Are you boys brothers? You look alike."

Gray and Lyon both looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. They looked absolutely nothing alike. Not hair color or eye color or eye shape, or anything else."

"I don't mean physical traits," the baker said, as if she'd heard their thoughts. "I mean the way you both move and the expressions you make. And the way you seem comfortable near each other, but not in an intimate way."

At that comment Lyon and Gray both quickly moved further apart from one another, causing the woman to laugh.

"W-we're not . . ." Lyon stuttered.

"We're definitely not," Gray agreed.

"Not brothers? Or lovers?"

"Neither!" they said in unison very quickly.

"Childhood friends then?" she guessed, laughing still.

"Yeah," Lyon said. "We studied together under the same master."

"Studied what?" the woman wanted to know.

"Martial arts," Gray said quickly. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth. Lyon could understand why. In a lot of small, isolated villages, wizards weren't welcomed and all magic was regarded with suspicion, sometimes even violence. Gray had come from such a village after all.

The woman started chattering about life in her town after that and kept prattling on and on until Lyon very emphatically remembered why he hated being around other people. When the bread was finally done they purchased a bag full and left as quickly as they could.

"My ears are ringing," muttered Gray when they finally stepped back out onto the street.

"This bread is going to last us for the next three weeks, because I'm not going back in there again," Lyon told him.

"Agreed."

They got some fruit and vegetables next, and finished up their shopping trip at the butcher's, where true to his word, Gray did buy meat, but they also were able to get some salted fish for Lyon.

"Have you ever tried eating any of the monsters you've killed?" Gray asked as they headed out of town.

"Why the hell would I do that?" Lyon asked.

"It was just a question. I'm guessing, from your reaction, that the answer's no."

"Of course it's no. That's just disgusting."

"How is eating a wyvern or sea serpent or chimera worse than eating a cow or fish? You just freeze it into sherbet and dig in."

"You do this often, do you?"

Instead of answering, Gray dropped the bags he was carrying.

Lyon stopped walking and looked at him oddly. This scene was strangely familiar. His heart gave a pang as he saw the color of Gray's eyes. Stormy blue gray again, but lighter than he'd ever seen them before, and so wide that Lyon could see white all around his irises. "Gray? What's wrong?"

Gray didn't answer, only stared. So Lyon turned to follow his gaze, an anxious feeling pulling his heart all the way down to his feet.

At first Lyon didn't see it, whatever it was that had frozen Gray like a deer in the headlights of a magic SUV. He looked all around to make sure that it hadn't moved, then back at Gray who was still looking in the same direction. So Lyon looked again. Then he realized. Gray was staring at two people, a man and a woman. Both middle aged. The man with blue-black hair, the woman with stormy blue-gray eyes, the exact color that Gray's were at that moment. And Lyon realized, his heart sinking ever lower, that he had seen these people once before.

"Impossible," he whispered. It should have been impossible. They were on the wrong freaking continent for a reunion like this! It might have been plausible for something like this to happen if they'd gone to Isvan, but not here in Aesir! He reached out to grab Gray's arm, ready to lie to him, or hit him over the head, knock him out, and drag him back to their camp and convince him later that this was just a fever dream, but Gray was already out of arm's reach, running toward the couple.

He stumbled to a stop in front of them, attracting their attention. And Lyon saw the horror spread across their faces right along with recognition as they realized who they were laying eyes on.

"Papa?" Gray asked. "Mama?"

"Gray, no!" Lyon dropped the bags he was carrying and hurried forward.

"It's me . . . Gray –"

_"Get out of my sight you freak!"_

Gray recoiled as if he'd been hit, stepping backward, just as Lyon reached him. So Lyon didn't really intend to grab his shoulders from behind and steady him, but it was just as well that he did.

"Papa, it's me," Gray tried again. "Gray. I'm your –"

"We have no son!" Mrs. Fullbuster screamed at him. "Especially not one who's a wizard and a freak!"

Gray would have cringed away again but with Lyon right behind him there was nowhere to go.

"That witch broke her promise," Mr. Fullbuster said angrily. He turned a glare on Lyon. "She swore to us that she would take him away and we'd never have to see him again. What do you have to say in her stead?"

"What do I have to say?" Lyon's voice was almost unrecognizable even to himself. It was so cold and hoarse that it barely sounded human. "How about this: Shut the fuck up before I kill you."

He pulled Gray back and shouldered his way past his kouhai protectively, almost like it was second nature.

"How dare you tell me how to talk to my son?"

"You can't have it both ways, old man," growled Lyon. "He's not your son anymore. You said it yourself. You gave him to Ur. Which means that it's my little brother you're talking to like that, and I won't allow it. Now _leave."_

The Fullbusters hesitated. Lyon drew on his power. Not the destructive aspect of it, since he didn't intend to attack anyone or anything. He just cooled the air around himself enough to make it look like mist was streaming out from his skin, a display of power sure to intimidate any mage fearing peasant.

He had to hand it to Mr. and Mrs. Fullbuster. They were probably running fast enough to do a four minute mile after just a glance at him. Under other circumstances Lyon probably would have smirked. But not now. Not with Gray standing beside him, his eyes so pale there wasn't even a trace of the grayish color left in them now. They were such a light blue that someone might have wondered if Gray was blind just from their color. And he looked lay down and die sick.

Lyon swallowed and forced himself to meet that deathly pale gaze. "Gray," he started. Then stopped. He had no idea what to say.


	4. Chapter 4

"Gray . . ." Lyon stared at his friend helplessly. "I . . . I'm sorry . . ."

For several moments Gray just stared blankly, as though he didn't understand what was going on. Finally he nodded. "Let's get out of here," he croaked. He walked back to the spot where they'd dropped their groceries and started picking them up.

Not knowing what else to do, Lyon followed and did the same.

The walk back to their camp seemed to take much longer than the walk there. It might have been because they were walking slower, but Lyon thought it was more likely because of the uneasy silence that was between them, instead of the companionable silence, punctuated by short conversations and laughter that they'd shared on the way there.

Once they'd reached the ice house, Gray dropped his groceries on the table that he'd made out of ice the same day he made the house, tore off his shirt, then stormed back outside.

"Gray –"

"I don't want to talk. Leave me alone."

Lyon didn't speak again but followed Gray outside.

Without warning Gray screamed. An ear splitting cry that rang out for miles, full of pent up rage, and frustration, and despair, as well as Gray's very life force and magic. It nearly brought Lyon to his knees and he had to clap his hands over his ears so that he could continue to stand. "Gray!"

The air around them had gone from frigid to ridiculous in less than three seconds as ice magic permeated it. Above them the skies went from blue with a few clouds to white so quickly that Lyon would have thought it impossible. And throughout it all Gray kept screaming.

"Gray! Stop it! How are you even doing that?" Lyon tried to get closer to Gray but the force of Gray's magic kept him back. It was like trying to walk through a violent wall of arctic wind. The snow dusting the ground around Gray was all blown backward, leaving the earth bare around him. "Gray! Stop!"

Before Lyon's very eyes, he saw Gray's body start to become translucent. No, transparent. Like ice. He was actually glowing with a blue light the same color as his magic as his skin tones were leached away. The color was even drained out of his hair, which soon looked like it had turned to glass. This wasn't quite like Iced Shell. Lyon didn't know what the heck this was. All he knew was that it was dangerous, and that he had to stop Gray, or else it was likely that his kouhai was going to die.

"Gray! For the love of God, stop!" Lyon tried his hardest to get closer but was knocked off his feet by the force of Gray's power. "Damn it! Gray!"

Amazingly, Gray's scream hadn't lost a bit of power. If anything it had gotten louder.

"Doesn't he need to stop and breathe?" Lyon wondered, scowling. He didn't know how to deal with this. This magic was beyond anything he'd encountered so far in his life. If Gray had unleashed this on the Oracion Seis during their first encounter then that would have been the end of everything. Likely, Gray didn't even know that he had power like this. "So this is the power of the only person ever to survive being hit by one of Deliora's breath attacks?"

The light around Gray was getting stronger now. Brighter. More dangerous.

"Gray, stop!" Lyon tried once more, but now he couldn't even hear his own voice over the roar of magic power. "I won't let you die like this you idiot!"

And so since he couldn't walk forward, Lyon began to crawl.

It wasn't easy. The typhoon of magic crashed against him, trying to sweep him back, making him fight for every single inch. Lyon had to dig his fingers into the frozen dirt that had been exposed when the snow was all pushed back. He could feel his hands getting cut up, but he didn't care. He pulled himself forward using all the strength in his arms, bracing with his legs so that he didn't lose any ground, slowly, much too slowly, closing the distance between himself and his friend.

"I swear, I am going to kick your ass for this, Gray," muttered Lyon as he dragged his body forward.

He tried to grab Gray's pants leg when he reached his friend, but got a brutal shock. The material of Gray's pants crumbled when he tried to grab it, breaking away in tiny flakes of ice. Several inches of bare calf were revealed, though they were barely recognizable as part of a human body. They looked as though they were made of glass, lit with the light of Gray's magic. And to Lyon's horror, they were shot through with tiny cracks. Gray's body was starting to give out, no longer able to contain the magic that had been called forth through it.

"Damn you, Gray! I won't let it end like this!" Lyon grabbed Gray's knee, ignoring how it made even more of his pants crumble. From there he was able to pull himself high enough to grab Gray's elbow, then Gray's shoulder, until finally he was standing in front of him. The skin on Lyon's hands blistered wherever they made contact with Gray's skin, but Lyon didn't care. He grabbed Gray by both shoulders. He would have liked to have shaken him and tried to get through to him like that but he was afraid of shattering his friend completely. The same with punching him in the face.

Gray's eyes were completely transparent now. It scared Lyon more than he could say. Looking into those blank, completely empty eyes, he felt himself begin to fall into despair. Gray was beyond his reach, he realized. Beyond anyone's reach.

"NO!" Lyon screamed. "GRAY! NO! Snap out of it!" He grabbed Gray's head with both hands. "Stop it right now!" It was his last ditch attempt at saving his friend. He knew it was hopeless, but he'd still had to try. "OKAY THEN! FINE!" Lyon felt his eyes tearing up, and not just from the extreme cold, as he moved his face in front of Gray's, so close that their foreheads were touching. "FINE! If this is how it ends then so be it! We'll go together! Come on, little brother! It's time to meet Ur again!"

Something swirled inside of Gray's eyes. Lyon only was able to see because his eyes were right in front of Gray's. They darkened suddenly, irises shading in, everything transparent suddenly clouding to white. And then there it was, a spark of recognition. Abruptly, the screaming stopped.

"L-Lyon . . ." Gray's voice sounded like ice cracking.

"We're a family," Lyon said hoarsely. "If we go down, we go down together."

"L-let g-go. G-get b-back."

"Shut up."

"D-don't . . ."

"It's okay." Keeping his forehead against Gray's, Lyon lowered his arms so he could wrap them around Gray's back.

"L-L-Lyon . . ." The magic around them was dying down, but Lyon hardly dared to hope that this would really end with both of them still alive. At least until it suddenly all died out like a candle being snuffed into oblivion. The air seemed to pop as all the magic dispersed. The light disappeared, and Gray's skin went from transparent and glowing to opaque, yet deathly pale in the blink of an eye. His hair was once again blue-black, the same color as his irises, though Lyon only had a split second to see them before they rolled into the back of Gray's head and his knees buckled.

Lyon caught him before he could fall, then lowered him to the ground, very carefully, and very, very slowly, worried that some part of Gray might still be as ice, and might break and shatter if jarred too hard.

"Thank God." Lyon blinked rapidly and felt the tears dripping from his eyes, warm against his skin. He shook his head, accidentally spilled a few of them onto Gray's face, and quickly wiped them away, then let his hand rest on Gray's forehead. "The things I do for you, little brother."

* * *

><p>Next chapter, by request, will show how Fairy Tail is dealing with Gray's leave of absence.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Deep in the heart of Aesir's ice covered mountains, where the snow never thawed, and no living thing could possibly survive, a consciousness stirred.

She was old, ancient even. She'd been there since time out of mind, but for the past few centuries she'd slept. She wasn't really alive, but she existed, a creature with a heart that had never known warmth and a body made of sentient ice. In ages past, she'd been worshiped and feared. Once sacrifices had been made to her by the dozens, so many that the glaciers ran red with frozen blood. But the world had changed and she'd grown bored, and so she'd gone to sleep while humans carried on living their boring lives.

But then, one day out of the blue, something changed. A power flared into existence. Strong ice magic, strong enough perhaps to challenge her own. And so she awakened, her interest sparked.

She didn't know what this new power was or what it intended. Perhaps a fight would ensue. That would be worth waking up for. Or perhaps the power would depart from her region before she could reach it. In which case she'd drink a few villages to make waking up worth while before returning to her slumber. Or perhaps she would find in this new power something else. What, she did not know, but the possibility always existed.

And so she departed from her icy sanctuary to find this new ice power.

* * *

><p>Truly being in love took a lot of work, as Juvia well knew. If you really loved someone you had to know everything about them, every aspect of their lives, so that you could love them even more. And that included everything from their whereabouts, to the trains they took to get there, to the people they stopped to talk to along the way, to the weather forecasts for the region they were staying in.<p>

So when a blizzard struck Aesir three weeks before Aesir's blizzard season was scheduled to began, Juvia understandably got worried.

"Erza-san, Juvia thinks that we should go and check on Gray. Juvia feels that something bad has happened to him."

It was quiet for a day in Fairy Tail's beer hall and the mood was unusually somber. It had been since Gray's departure for his "training trip." He'd made a valiant effort to hide the hurt of having his entire guild turn on him so quickly, but Juvia had seen through to his heart since they were connected at the soul. And . . . it seemed that most of his guild mates had also known him well enough to know that even though he pretended everything was cool, he was sore.

Erza glanced at Lucy and Natsu who were sharing a table with them. All of them looked uneasy.

"Gray's an ice wizard, Juvia," Lucy said at last. "A blizzard won't bother him at all. Will it?" She looked to Erza and Natsu for reassurance.

"Not likely," said Erza.

"Not that guy." Natsu's head was resting on the table, and he looked oddly depressed. Feeling residual guilt about the way his guildmates had cruelly treated Gray-sama, no doubt. As well he should!

"Juvia feels that something is wrong with Gray," Juvia tried again. "Not just the sudden season shift. Juvia feels in her heart that something is very wrong and thinks we should go help him _right now._"

"Gray will not thank us for interrupting his training." Erza's face was shadowed with guilt too.

"Let's not kid ourselves," said Lucy suddenly. "We all know Gray didn't leave just to train."

Juvia wasn't sure what to make of this comment by her rival in love. The only thing that kept her from lashing out at Lucy was the memory that Lucy hadn't jumped to hasty conclusions about Gray being a traitor. She hadn't been so certain of his innocence, as Juvia had been, which proved that Juvia was much better suited to being Gray's wife, of course, but at least Lucy had withheld judgment until all the facts were in.

"Yeah," admitted Erza. "Gray wanted some time to himself after . . ."

"That guy's annoying, but not having him here means I don't have anyone to spar against," complained Natsu. "Why'd you guys have to go all inquisition on him like that? You know Gray would never betray Fairy Tail. Not after all we've been through."

"Juvia knew," Juvia said haughtily. She glared at Lucy. "Not you. _Juvia."_

"I know, we should have known," said Erza. She stared at the table like a great weight was resting on her shoulders.

"After the lengths Gray-sama has gone to for all of you in the past, Juvia truly thinks you should have known. Juvia remembers how hard Gray-sama fought to save Erza-san when she was kidnapped. Gray-sama saved Natsu after he was eaten by an owl-assassin then if Juvia's memory serves her correctly. Juvia cannot comprehend why you believe Gray-sama would turn on you, anymore than she can comprehend why you won't go help him now that he needs it."

Erza clenched her fists. "Gray wanted time to himself –"

"Gray-sama's life is in danger!"

"He's not about to be done in by a snowstorm, Juvia. If we all go storming up there and invade the solitary time he asked for . . ."

"He might not come back," Lucy finished for her.

"Juvia wonders why no one else cares that Gray-sama is in danger!"

"Because we know the only real danger is that Gray might leave us!" Erza shouted. Everyone in the bar who hadn't already been eavesdropping stopped talking and turned to stare. "I hate thinking that I played a part in planting the thought in his mind and I won't do anything more that might force him away! And I will not allow anyone else to go after him when he has taken such extreme measures to make sure he was alone, because that's the best way I can think of to make him not come back!"

Everyone at the table recoiled away from Erza except Juvia.

"Juvia wants to know which Erza-san thinks is more important! Gray-sama coming back to Fairy Tail or Gray-sama staying alive!"

"I know you have an obsession with him, but how many times do we have to tell you, a snow storm is not going to –"

"It's not the snowstorm that Juvia is worried about! It's what caused it!" Juvia screamed. Erza didn't immediately respond so Juvia plowed on. "For the past two hundred years, ever since weather forcasts in Aesir were recorded, the seasons have run like clockwork. Light snows always begin five weeks after the summer solstice. Blizzard season always begins the third week of autumn, locking the area down until the spring equinox. Never has there been so much as one day in variation outside of that week. Yet now the blizzard season has begun three weeks ahead of schedule, nearly a full month! There isn't much that can interfere with weather patterns like that, and everything that can is very dangerous!"

Juvia could see Erza wavering. Lucy still looked doubtful. Natsu's expression was pretty blank. Juvia decided another tactic was necessary for winning Natsu over. If she had to choose just one of these three mages to accompany her, it was Natsu. Aside from his strength and the natural advantage his elemental magic gave him to most of the potential enemies in the area, he was the only one who was not a potential rival in love.

"However Juvia understands that you are all probably afraid since ice dragons and ice gods are the only things that could be causing this disruption."

"Wait, did you say dragon?"

"Juvia overestimated your courage and your friendship with Gray. Juvia will go help Gray-sama on her own."

"Did you say dragon?" Natsu asked again. "Juvia, wait! Did you say dragon?"

"Juvia has no use for cowards and false friends on her mission. Juvia bids you good day."

"Wait, Juvia, I'm coming with you! Happy!" Natsu shouted.

"Aye sir!"

"Wait, Juvia," said Lucy. "Give me time to pack! Otherwise I'll freeze."

"Natsu! Lucy!" shouted Erza. "Do you really intend to do something that will drive Gray further away?"

"Do you really intend to do nothing if he might be in danger?" countered Natsu.

Erza clenched her fist again.

"Shouldn't we just go check it out?" asked Lucy. "Unless he's in trouble we don't even need to let him see us. But if he does need us at least we'll be there. It's the least we can do, isn't it?"

Erza wavered for only another second then nodded. "I'll need to pack as well. I must get my Ice Empress armor out of storage."


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry it's been so long since my last update! I foolishly signed up for more classes this semester than I should have, since I'm trying to graduate in three years instead of four. Actually, I was thinking I could get it down to two and a half years, but I see after this semester that's not going to be possible, lol. But summer is coming up soon, thank god, and I'll finally be rid of all these cursed classes and have time to do something other than study again soon.

Chapter 6

When Gray opened his eyes it took awhile for them to focus. His entire body ached in a way that reminded him of his first few weeks training under Ur, when he went to bed every night certain that he was developing frostbite.

"Gray?"

"Lyon?" Gray blinked, trying to force his eyes to focus faster, but it had no effect. He saw his friend's blurry face move into his field of vision

"It's about time you woke up. I was starting to think you were in an actual coma."

Gray laughed then coughed painfully. Lyon's unsympathetic way of dealing with things somehow made him feel better right then.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Yeah." Gray tried sitting up and managed to, but only just.

"Then do you mind filling me in? Because I don't have a clue what that was."

"I don't know what it was either." Gray rubbed a hand over his face. "The way it felt reminded me of the time I summoned the power for Iced Shell, but it was different."

"How so?"

Gray thought for a moment. "I'm not quite sure how to describe it."

"From the outside it felt a lot like Iced Shell too, only about a hundred times more powerful," Lyon told him. "At first I thought you had turned your body to ice, but afterward I realized that was wrong. If you'd completely turned your body to ice that would have been the end of you, and there would have been no coming back. It was more like you turned your body into pure ice magic."

"Thank you, by the way," Gray told him. He forced himself to meet Lyon's eyes, even though it was difficult. He was surprised by the confused look Lyon sent his way.

"For what?"

"You pulled me back," Gray said. "I'd completely lost control. I think . . . I think it might have happened because I'd just given up on everyone and everything. It hurt . . . My parents . . . and my friends . . . I felt like I might as well just give them all up since they'd given up on me. Since I'd screwed everything up so badly. It was a very cold and empty feeling. But you reminded me that it didn't have to stay that way . . . that I still have a family. It might be dysfunctional and messed up on a number of levels, and we've all made mistakes, but that doesn't mean we can't get past them. And realizing that . . . it was a warm feeling. I think . . . no, I know that's what pulled me back."

Lyon looked away, shamefaced. "I'm sorry for lying to you."

"Huh?"

"About your parents," said Lyon. "I told you they were dead when –"

"Lyon . . . I already knew."

"What?"

"I thought you knew that," said Gray. "I was awake during that conversation Ur had with my parents before she took me away. I thought you saw me watching."

Lyon stared at him for several moments. "Then why did you want to kill Deliora so badly?"

Gray hung his head, embarrassed. "For destroying the illusion that I had a family."

"Well, this has a strange sort of symmetry. Both of us lied to each other for years about something the other already knew the truth about. Aren't we the pair." Lyon sat down beside him. "You're feeling okay now?"

"I'm feeling alive. That's good enough." Gray rubbed one hand over his face. "I'm ready to go home."

"When you say home, do you mean . . ."

"Fairy Tail," Gray said. "I've realized a couple things. Namely that I was being a fool, throwing my life away for a family that didn't want me when I've already found one that does."

"So you're forgiving them?" Lyon's voice was a bit softer and his face had a slight smile on it.

"Yeah. They're not perfect, but neither am I. That they all believed I betrayed them so quickly . . . at least some of the fault from that had to be mine. If I was a better friend –"

"Shut up already," snapped Lyon. "You might be willing to concede that they're not to blame for that, but I'm not. Even if I am glad you're forgiving them. Somehow I can't separate you from those idiots you hang around in my mind. Any fool can see you belong with them. So should we try to leave tomorrow?"

Gray looked at him oddly. "What do you mean try?"

"I mean that your ice-capades seem to have caused some sort of climate change. Four feet of snow fell yesterday and last night," Lyon told him.

"Your bad pun aside, _what?"_

"Yeah." Lyon smirked. "If it keeps up the area's going to be locked down a couple weeks early. So we should probably go tomorrow if you're able to travel."

"I am," Gray said.

"You sure?"

Gray wasn't used to seeing concern in Lyon's eyes, but it was impossible to miss.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"Then we'll leave for Fairy Tail tomorrow."

"You don't have to come to Fairy Tail with me. I'm not so weak that I need you trying to hold my hand you know."

"I don't trust you not to kill over in the streets. Besides . . ."

"What?" Gray asked.

"My guild's not expecting me back for a few weeks. We should try doing a job together. Now that we've gotten past our sibling rivalry phase we make a pretty good team."

Gray smiled. "True. What the hell, we might as well give it a shot."

"If we manage to not kill each other on our first job, maybe next time I can bring Sherry and you can bring your rain woman. We can form up as a team and make a double date out of it at the same time." Lyon smirked.

"I told you, we're not into each other like that!"

Lyon laughed, and too late Gray realized that getting a rise out of him had been Lyon's purpose all along.

"You're annoying. I'm going back to sleep." Gray laid back down and pulled what he'd thought was a sheet back up. It had fallen in his lap while he was sitting up and he hadn't paid much attention to it until now. And now he realized that it wasn't actually a blanket. It was Lyon's coat. "You want this back?" he asked groggily.

Instead of answering, Lyon came over and pulled his coat up so that it covered Gray's shoulders. "Get some rest."

* * *

><p>Erza couldn't help but feel that they were making a mistake coming after Gray like this. She would have been prepared to bet every piece of armor that she owned that this was a wild goose chase. Or more like a case of infatuation gone too far. If she'd actually thought that Gray could even possibly be in trouble, she would have been the one to lead the charge. She owed Gray that much, at least. But the chances of this being something dangerous were so abysmally small that Erza would have called them nonexistent. All they were going to do was annoy Gray, who'd been so upset with them to begin with that he'd gone and put an entire continent between himself and them so that he could have some space.<p>

It shamed Erza to know that she was a large part of the cause for that.

She loved all her companions in Fairy Tail. They were the family that she'd craved her entire life. She lived for them and would die for any one of them if it meant that they would be okay. But there were a few among her comrades who meant so much more to her than the rest; namely Natsu, Lucy, and Gray.

That should have meant something. Erza shouldn't have even thought for a second that it was possible that Gray was really betraying their guild. She knew him better than anyone. He was the closest thing to a brother she had. But what kind of sister was she to think the worst of him so quickly? To think that he was betraying them for, as he had put it, 'no reason.' She knew that wasn't him. Those two words alone should have keyed her in to the fact that he had a reason not to show his hand. That he had a plan that he couldn't immediately reveal to her. She should have known.

That hesitation may have cost Erza her little brother, and that knowledge was tearing at her heart. Part of her wanted to stop their little excursion in its tracks and drag Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and Juvia back to Fairy Tail. But some sick part of her wanted them to be right. She knew it was wrong, and it disgusted her, but there was a part of her that wanted to find Gray in mortal peril. She wanted to sweep in like the cavalry and save the day, and in that act wipe the slate clean with Gray, and bring him safely home to Fairy Tail where he belonged.

More likely was the probability of them interrupting his training and the time he'd needed free of them to think everything through. Erza could already see his cold annoyance, that look he got when he was distancing himself from everyone else. It had been a long time since she'd seen it if she didn't count the fact that he'd been wearing it right before he left.

That was when he'd told them for the first time that he was going north to train and would be gone for awhile. And that was all he'd intended to tell them. If not for Juvia they wouldn't have found out where he was going at all. His cold expression had only softened when he looked at the rain woman who'd believed in him. Juvia had even gotten a promise out of him that he'd invite his old friend Lyon along so he wouldn't be alone, but there was no doubt in Erza's mind that Lyon would have rejected the invitation flat out.

The biggest part of the reason that Erza was coming along, even though she knew they were risking Gray's icy wrath, was because if she didn't come . . . well there was no way Gray wouldn't notice her absence. She was under no illusion that they'd be able to keep their presence in Aesir a secret. With Natsu, Lucy, Juvia, and Happy it was inevitable that some attention drawing disaster would occur and alert Gray to the fact that they were there, and probably at the worst possible time for him too. And yes, he'd be mad that they'd come to bother him, but Erza suspected there would be at least a small part of him that would be glad they were concerned enough about him to make such a long trip. And if she was absent . . . well, Gray might think she didn't care, and Erza didn't want that.

If nothing else, at least Gray would know that they had all made the effort for his sake. And getting to Aesir truly did take a lot of effort. The early blizzards had thrown train schedules for the northern region into chaos. A week ago they'd have been able to get to Aesir after taking only three trains. Now they had to take five because cancelations forced them to take a very roundabout route. And on the last train that they boarded, they got a surprise.

"Ahhhh! It's them!"

A familiar voice set Erza's nerves on edge and she nearly requipped into stronger armor before catching herself.

"Indeed, it does appear to be Fairy Tail," said a cool voice.

"Hmph. Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Their worry for Lyon-sama's kohai could also be considered love, I suppose," said Sherry.

"You guys," said Erza as she and her comrades laid eyes on Sherry, Yuka, and Toby.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Lucy.

"Is it not obvious? We are going to ensure that nothing is wrong with Lyon-sama."

"This sudden climate change is troubling," said Yuka. "We're merely making certain that he doesn't need our help."

"Juvia wonders who these people are," said Juvia. Erza noticed that she was looking at Sherry with a rather violent sort of suspicion.

"They're friends of Lyon, Gray's fellow student under Ur," Erza explained. "I believe that Sherry is Lyon's girlfriend. Toby and Yuka are Lyon's longtime comrades."

At this news Juvia looked considerably more friendly. "I hope we get along well."

"You Fairies can go home," said Sherry. "If Lyon-sama and Gray-san are in need of help Lamia Scale will be able to provide all the aid they require."

"That's really funny considering that not only did we wipe the floor with you the last time we fought, but we also did a whole lot more than your team when we allied up to take out Oracion Seis," snapped Lucy.

"None of that," Erza said quickly. She gave Sherry, Yuka, and Toby what she hoped was a respectful look. "If we learned nothing else from our fight against Oracion Seis, it's that we're stronger when we stand together. I think that Lyon and Gray would both agree, don't you?"

"You're right," conceded Sherry.

"Juvia agrees that Erza-san's words are true, but thinks that only makes her more of a hypocrite."

Erza winced.

"What are you talking about?" asked Toby. "She doesn't look anything like a hippo. Maybe a little like a rhino, but that's a completely different kind of dinosaur."

Erza scowled and clenched a fist.

"Juvia," hissed Lucy.

"Juvia merely spoke the truth."

"I don't suppose that whatever you're talking about contributed to the reason Gray and Lyon went on this excursion?" said Yuka.

Erza had to give the bushy-eyebrowed man credit for his sharpness and his ability to piece things together, even if she didn't appreciate it being used at this moment.

"I see," said Yuka when no one answered.

"So does that mean what you thought was true, Yuka?" asked Toby. "That Gray's having problems with Fairy Tail?"

"It appears so."

"Gray may be annoying but he's still our comrade!" shouted Natsu, suddenly reviving from the motion sickness that had plagued him since the last train they'd gotten off of. Since this one hadn't begun moving yet it seemed he would be okay for a few minutes at least. "And there's no problems between members of Fairy Tail that can't be worked through!"

The members of Lamia Scale exchanged sly glances that set Erza on edge. "What?" she demanded.

"Hmm? We didn't say anything," said Sherry.

"Yeah! We didn't say nothing!" agreed Toby. "At least not just now. But we were saying last night that if things between you and your ice wizard don't get better we wouldn't mind snapping him up for our guild. Because Reitei always seems to be in a better mood after seeing him, and Sherry says they work so well together that you'd think their fights were a well timed dance. Agh! Glug!" Toby was cut off by a wave of water that appeared out of nowhere to douse him.

"Juvia won't give him up to you!" screamed the rain woman. "Juvia will fight you for him! Fight you all!"

"Juvia, enough!" said Erza. "They weren't serious, and even if they were, Gray's not going anywhere."

"That's right! He's coming home to Fairy Tail where he belongs!" yelled Natsu.

Yuka quickly moved in front of Toby and summoned a force field to stave off the flow of magic water. He gave them a smile that wasn't entirely pleasant. "Well just let your ice wizard know if he decides he's finished with you that he's got other options. It's his decision ultimately, isn't it?"

"In Gray's mind there won't be any choice at all," said Erza. "He would never betray Fairy Tail." She just wished that she'd believed that sooner. Then they wouldn't be in this mess now. Because the closer they got to Aesir, the more reasons Erza found to fear that she would soon be giving the Fairy Tail send off speech to one of the people she cared about the most. And that terrified her more than she could say.

* * *

><p>A five hour ride with what were probably the three prickliest members of Lamia Scale wouldn't have been fun even in the best of times. Add that to a jealous, possessive Juvia, a motion sick Natsu, and Lucy and Happy along for the ride and by the time they reached Aesir's northmost train station Erza swore that if she had to be cooped up with them all another minute she would have slaughtered them all.<p>

"Brrr. It's cold here," said Sherry as they stepped outside onto the platform.

"No kidding," Lucy agreed. "It still felt like summer in Magnolia."

"I'm afraid you folks are a little late for our warm season," laughed a man who appeared to be the station master. "All two weeks of it. We've been getting small snow storms for months, but this big one's a little early, even for this area."

"Where do we even begin to look for them in this place?" Lucy wondered. "Do you think they're at an inn here? Or out camping?"

"Camping out," whispered Natsu. He still hadn't recovered from the train ride yet.

"I agree," said Yuka. "Lyon dislikes other people to the point where he'd much rather sleep outside in a snowstorm than stay at an inn where he might come in contact with them."

"He's actually tried to make us do that a few times. Can you believe that guy?" asked Toby.

Erza turned to Natsu. "Can you track them by scent?"

"Urgh . . . not in this storm. The cold dulls their scents and the winds and snow confuse the trail."

"I suppose we could ask around town and see if anyone knows which direction they headed," said Lucy.

"Hey Marty!"

Everyone jumped at the sudden shout and turned to see a man who looked like a local hurrying over to the stationmaster. Then they started to turn away since whatever he had to say didn't concern them, but his voice was loud enough that they couldn't help but overhear.

"Fullbuster's gotten an early start at the Backwater Tavern again."

"Again?" The stationmaster shook his head. "Jeez, what's with that guy? Is he trying to drink himself to death?"

Everyone from Fairy Tail had frozen at the mention of Gray's last name. The team from Lamia Scale who weren't familiar with it had kept on walking, but realized something was up and turned back.

"Is this where we part ways then?" Yuka asked them.

"Wait," Erza told him.

"Hey you!" Natsu was already running back to the stationmaster. "How do we get to the Backwater Tavern?"


End file.
